'Consider yourself one of the family' sang the Artful Dodger to Oliver.

Lowestoft Journal: Fagin and the gang in rehearsals for the community production of Lionel Bart's musical Oliver!Fagin and the gang in rehearsals for the community production of Lionel Bart's musical Oliver! (Image: Archant)

This serves as a perfect metaphor as the Marina Theatre in Lowestoft prepares to welcome the Seagull Theatre upon their historic stage for the first time ever.

Excitement is building ahead of this community production of Lionel Bart's musical Oliver! which is just two weeks away. The show will be the Marina and the Seagull Theatres' first collaboration together.

Oliver! features a highly talented cast and production team from Lowestoft and the surrounding area.

John Hales, director of Oliver! and former manager of the Seagull Theatre, said: 'We set out to make this a community show, not a Marina or Seagull show. The cast really reflects all aspects of the community – members of the Seagull and Lowestoft Players and many other groups, not forgetting the youth theatre groups, all working alongside each other. For some people this is their first show, others have been performing for over 50 years. Everyone is working to deliver what promises to be an unmissable version of the musical that everyone can sing along to.'

The production, which opens at the Marina Theatre on August 23, has been helped by Making Waves Together, a wider partnership project led jointly by Great Yarmouth Borough Council and Waveney District Council, which is funded by the Great Places Scheme. The project sees communities and organisations in both areas working together to boost the cultural offer and drive cultural re-imagination as a way of supporting success in the seaside towns.

Great Places has been supported by a grant from Arts Council England and Heritage Lottery Fund.

Emma Butler Smith, Marina Theatre chief executive officer, said: 'It's been a real privilege to bring the two theatres together for such an exciting project. Oliver! is a musical everyone knows and loves, and it has been a pleasure to watch our community create something special together.'

The project has also been sponsored by a variety of local organisations including The Journal, SPS Solutions Ltd and Wyse Media. This production of Oliver! is supporting Lowestoft Food Bank.

Oliver! is showing at the theatre from August 23 to September 1. Tickets 01502 533200, or at www.marinatheatre.co.uk